A Sprite bottle to the face gave Bellator 99's Joe Taimanglo his confidence

Joe Taimanglo likes to call himself “a little guy from a little island,” but growing up in Guam, the Bellator tournament participant had to quickly learn to fend for himself.

The need to swing ultimately sparked an interest in MMA and a promising fight career, but it took a soda bottle to the face before Taimanglo finally decided to get serious about it.

“I remember one time when I was 15 and this bully walked right up to me and hit me in the face with a full Sprite bottle,” he said. “He was huge. I was small, and he was a returning senior. I was like, ‘What the f—? What the hell is this guy still doing in this school?’ So we ended up scrapping, and I kicked his ass in front of everyone at school.”

But Taimanglo (18-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who meets Andrew Fisher (12-4-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) on Friday in a featherweight-tournament opening-round bout at Bellator 99, had some close calls. Taimanglo is set to fight on Spike TV from Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. It’s a far cry from his those early days as a scrapper.

“I would just stand my ground and a lot of times I would get jumped,” he said. “Sometimes by five guys, a lot of times by more. It’s amazing that I survived all that craziness and was able to walk away.

“Growing up in poverty and never having much has always been a big motivation for me. It makes you really appreciate things like receiving a big fat check for a fight. It’s very humbling for me. Remembering where I come from inspires me to help my family and help myself. I consider myself blessed and very fortunate to have this opportunity to fight in this tournament.”

With three victories in the eight-man field, the 29-year-old could get a shot at the title. He’s got plenty of momentum heading into the tourney, including nine-fight winning streak and Bellator-debut win over Ronnie Rogers in March.

Although Fisher is coming down from lightweight and should have a size advantage over Taimanglo, a natural featherweight, he believes he’s prepared for it. A big reason is his recent training with Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler.

“I think training with big lightweights like Michael Chandler gives me an edge,” he said. “I push myself against Michael so I know that when the time comes for me to enter that cage, it’s going to be fun for me.

“Michael Chandler has been a huge help in my preparation for this tournament. I was one of his main training partners for his fight with David Rickels. It’s really great to have a fighter of his caliber there in the gym to learn from.”

Taimanglo, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, thinks he’ll have the edge on the ground. Those skills could come in handy against Fisher, who’s won three straight fights via knockout. But even since his schooldays, Taimanglo hasn’t been one to back away from a fistfight, and he’s not about to do that on Friday.

“I’m excited to let my hands go and knock this guy out,” he said. “I’m just a little guy from a little island, but I came here to do big things. I want to make Guam proud, and I plan on doing that by becoming a world champion here with Bellator.”